Over the last few months I have had some powerful conversations with the owners of Zenberry, Emma Galland and Shane Moran. They are long-time supporters of 3 Generations. She is a holistic health coach and he a competitive athlete. One of the conversations was about the relationship of food and culture. When genocide seeks to obliterate a whole group of people preserving traditions is a vital act of regeneration, and food is one of the first and most essential celebrations of a threatened culture. Another conversation was about the ramifications of trendy foods on the indigenous populations who have long grown and eaten them. The links between food and human rights are many and important. Emma and Shane shared some stories about the indigenous foods they use in their creation Zenberry*, it’s a powder containing many ancient and healing foods (like cacao, macca root and spirulina). For the last two years I have taken Zenberry with me whenever I am on the road either filming or attending festivals to keep healthy and not insanely hungry. As a non-athlete I was really honored and excited when they invited me to be their Zenberry Fearless Leader this month. I agreed to take their Zenberry Be Fearless Challenge for the month of December, figuring maybe I should get healthy BEFORE the New Year. Then Emma suggested we propose the challenge to all our friends and supporters, thinking that 3 Generations could spearhead a broad effort to get lots of us fighting fit for the challenges of 2017.

If you join me in the December Zenberry Be Fearless Challenge you can help yourself and help 3 Generations. I cannot make specific claims about the product since we are a 501c3, nor can I promise I will end up a triathlete in 2017, but I plan to try.

Here are the rules of the challenge:

Make at least 1 Zenberry smoothie a day to increase essential nutrition, boost your immune and digestive system. Disease is an action killer. If you want to change the world, a rocking health is a prerequisite. [I am going to cut down on processed foods and sugar this month because the madness of world tends to make me overeat sweets. I love to cook so I plan to come up with a smoothie for breakfast or afternoon evening snack to nurture my body, instead of eating candy or chocolate]

Set a health or professional goal for yourself this month and execute a “daily stretch” action towards progressing your goal every day. My goal is to spread the word about 3 Generations via the launch A Different American Dream and German Concentration Camps Factual Survey into movie theatres in January

Commit to performing at least one civic action weekly. I will share some ideas based on my actions every week on our Facebook, but next week I will be visiting Standing Rock for the third time and listening to the stories of the Water Protectors.

Every bag of Zenberry you purchase at this 3 Generations donation link http://zenberrymix.com/#_l_1v will generate a 35% donation to 3 Generations from Zenberry (that is $41 per bag).The more you buy, the more we get. One large bag includes 33 servings. The food is raw, dehydrated and lasts up to 2 years. It does not need to be refrigerated which makes it easy to travel with.

As soon as you get your Zenberry you can begin the challenge. You can tune in with me starting Thursday, December 1. Thanks to one of our Board Members there are 3 scholarships available for anyone who would like to take the challenge but may not be able to afford to do so. Contact us info@3generations to apply.

About Zenberry

*Zenberry is a raw, vegan, organic superfood protein drink mix that actually tastes good. It’s like a green juice, smoothie, protein shake and superfood drink all in one, with probiotics and enzymes. This essential nutrition profile is what makes it unique and it does not contain soy, dairy, chemicals, fillers or GMOs.

Joyce, a retired mental health nurse from Detroit Lakes Minnesota is Native American from the White Earth Nation. She just returned from Cannon Ball North Dakota where she served in the medical tents at Standing Rock, taking care of water protectors trying to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. We have had the privilege of receiving her direct accounts on what it is like to provide medical care to the water protectors. Many protectors are trained in peaceful direct action and yet they are brutally targeted by an ever-more militarized police force. They go out to protect the water rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and return wounded. Here is a glimpse of what it’s like just beyond the front lines, told in Joyce’s own beautiful words:

“I just left Standing Rock Main Camp at 5 AM. I left with the promise of returning. Patients came in for post assault treatment and were ready to go back to the front line. WARRIORS. EMOTIONS RAMPANT. Mine. We saw 3 gunshots. All rubber bullets/beanbags. 20 or more cases of hypothermia. Many sprayed. Skin washes. Eyes. Asthma. Strep. Injuries, etc. LAND OF THE BRAVE. Amen.

The medic tent is like being on a MASH set. It’s a very small space. It has a wood stove the in center of the room. Two cots. Boxes of supplies. Staff includes a doctor if lucky. Paramedics. Nurses like me. ER Staff. Medics work well with herbal treatments. Herbs for soaks. Skin treatments and teas for many maladies. We treat hypothermia. Skin washes to cleanse from being sprayed with mace and pepper spray. We saw three bullet hits. Rubber bullets and bean bags.

Night time at camp. Bright starry sky. Smoke from fires circling throughout. One night at about 3 AM a drum started its healing beat. Singing. Drone of circling plane trying to annoy us with its nightly routine. Native sounds overpower. Very beautiful.

Working at camp site near the medic tent I met and heard stories from people from all over the country. All on journeys that led them to this place at this time. I had a patient that had been at camp 4 days without methadone. Sick from withdrawal. I told her she had to find a way home today. We as a team helped. She left and like others she will be back.

Medic tent worked well with herbal tent, at one point a truck pulled up to medic tent and dropped off a young blonde blue-eyed girl. I knew in 10 seconds that she was in trouble. She was gently making hand gestures suddenly expressing fear in her eyes and body. Another medic was with us. We got tea from the herbal tent knowing the tea would relax our patient. When asked when she had eaten last it had been a day before. We gave her soup. She would go back and forth from her world to ours. She would gently touch us. She gave me a card. Insisted on me reading it to her. Just me. I read it. The girl was, in our eyes and our assessment, was experiencing mental health issues. She was sent to the local hospital via ambulance.

The medic tent has staff that have been here since day one. They are so flexible. They have to be. So many cooks in the kitchen. Knowledgeable. Caring. Each with Skills. I felt proud to be a part of this. Medical people from all over the country come to help.

We can be instantly thrown into action. I am amazed at how strangers blend into being medics. One purpose. Treating people that we don’t know. We ask about allergies. We have no medical history.. but we obtain what we need to treat safely. At times we work without power. In a dark small tent. I have seen things I have never seen before. When the warriors passed our medic tent on their way to the Front Line we stood and proudly let them know that we are with them. Overwhelmed. Emotional. Knowing they were weaponless. Determined to go in peace. But they will come back to us with wounds. Gunshots. Sprayed. Hypothermic. But no broken SPIRITS.

We treat them and when we are done their unbroken spirit wants to go right back. Shooting bullets of peace at police and DAPL. I, as an elder with health problems- I did what I could and left the heavy lifting to the young and healthy. I went on my own guilt trip. The team never added to that. I became flexible and self forgiving. Because of the small space we had I would be outside the tent policing who could go in and verbally triage. If I could I would wrap wounds. I felt so safe. We had two doctors on hand. Paramedics who are trained for situations like this. ER techs. Nurses. I am so humbled these medics are donating huge amounts of time to serve other water protectors.

I shared a split second moment of what’s happening. There are always rumors swirling through camp. The police are coming to camp to tell us to go home or to jail. It was about ten at night. Suddenly sirens were in camp. It was over fast- it was only an ambulance leaving.

What was great was being acknowledged as a seasoned medic. Being a retired mental health nurse worked well for me. I feel that all walks from the health world were shown respect and appreciation. I will always appreciate the humor of medics after a long day. The tents prepared to come to Standing Rock if the need arises. Medic tent/general medicine. Alternative herbal therapy. Minerals and spices. Mental health tent. Women’s health. Midwifery. So thankful for all.”

Joyce appeared in 3 Generations’ film, Native Silence, a solemn account of the legacy of forced adoption on Native American children, torn from their tribal communities and placed in foster care and boarding schools. Her story is available on the website of 3 Generations. We remain grateful to Joyce and all her fellow volunteers.

OUR MISSION

3 Generations is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping survivors of atrocities tell their stories to the world using film. We have recorded their voices as an act of healing and a call to action.